Cherry Blossom Memories
by angelforshow
Summary: Discont.
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Naruto, would I be writing this? Nope, Masashi Kishimoto is one lucky guy.**  
**

**Summary:** Geisha do not love. They are forbidden to find it. But one of them thinks that whoever thought of THAT was just a great big fool. KakaSaku.

--

_Cherry Blossom Memories_

Chapter I

--

No one would have thought so, but I wasn't originally from Konoha. 

I was born in a village far north of Konoha. I don't quite remember what the name of the little town was. Everyone, even the villagers always called it White Village. The nickname came from the constant blanket of snow it was always buried in. I may not remember the formal name of the place I was birthed in, but I did know one thing:

I had been happy.

My father had only been around for a few years during my short childhood in White Village. My mother told me that when I was about three years old, he had died from an unknown illness. Even though she called in numerous doctors to try to treat him, no one knew the cure. No one could save him.

One of my last memories of Otou-san was seeing him in his and our mother's bed, lying flat on his back, weak as a crushed butterfly. When I had crawled up to him though, he had raised one eyelid, revealing a beautiful dark green eye, to gaze at me, and summoned his energy one last time to touch my hair as a gesture of fatherly affection. He died the next week, sleeping. My mother seemed to know when it was going to happen, as she sat in a stiff chair next to him, crying. As I look back now, I realized that to his death day, my father had loved me, despite the fact that most of the time our lives had clashed, he was deathly ill.

Two years passed after his death, and my mother and I lived on together with my aunt, my Auntie, my mother's sister. Okaa-san had moved in with her sister to find comfort from losing her husband. She and her sister had been best friends growing up, and they still were.

But even Auntie couldn't help the pain that she was going through.

Another year passed, at that time I was six, and my mother finally was worn away from grief and illness. We thought had something wrong with her heart.

My Aunt had sobbed out to me after the funeral that it had been broken.

--

Now, at six years old, it was only me and Auntie left. She became like a mother to me. Once again, I was content and happy. I still had my Auntie, after all, and I had lots of playmates in the village. I had started school the year before, and I could now read and write simple characters, do easy mathematics, and I knew the history of the village and of our country. Most of that history has leaked out of my mind now though…all being erased and replaced with Konoha memories.

Of course, in a world where each country has an army of ninja to keep power, there is always war. White Village was the most peaceful place in all of the Rain Country though, I thought–we all thought–that nothing that was related to war or battle would happen here.

Three years later, I was nine years old; there was an ambush on our village by Cloud, some distant land to me. Apparently, our country had been plotting against them. They decided to nip the war in the bud and send a warning to us by attacking four villages in the Rain Country.

Auntie was killed in the attack. A kunai knife had been embedded in her throat by the raid leader himself. She had been protecting me, refusing to let the other's touch me or hurt me.

I had already gotten use to the feeling of loss, but I couldn't help but break down and cry again.

After all, happiness only lasted three years for me.

When I was three, my father had died, cracking and crumbling of my mother's perfect world, therefore nicking mine as well.

When I was six, my mother's world had finally shattered from grief and angst. My world was significantly scathed, for I was technically an orphan now, but Auntie took me in.

And now, at nine years old, my Auntie died. My world was spider-webbed with cracks now.

Because right now, I was really alone.

So, after Auntie's funeral, I sat in the cemetery for a long time, as if being near my family's bodies would be enough to have a family again. I remembered a conversation with Okaa-san, not long before she passed away.

"_Mama, I'm bored," I had said that day, sulking while plopping myself down onto the wooden floor of the kitchen._

_The pretty woman that was my mother smiled at me from the high kitchen counter, where she was making dinner. "Why don't you go find one of your friends to go play with?" she asked as she chopped carrots for stew. She handed me a chunk of raw carrot to nibble on._

"_They're all visiting their families in other villages for the holidays," I answered, biting into the sweet orange vegetable. "Why don't we have family that we can go see?" I questioned, frowning once again._

_Okaa-san looked down at me in surprise. "We have Auntie," she reminded me gently._

"_I mean MORE family!"_

_My mama then put down the dull knife she was using and stooped down to straighten out my hair that had been in disarray from running outside a while ago. "Sweetie, be glad that you have me and your Auntie…because if we die, you'll be that last of our clan."_

That had really made me feel special back then.

As I kneeled on the snow covered ground, I couldn't help but cry.

I cried for my Auntie, who had died protecting me till the very end.

I cried for my Okaa-san, who had spent every moment of her life with me trying to be happy, but had had to live through such a terrible loss.

I cried for my father, who had loved everything in his life to the day he died, and who had left without a struggle.

But mostly, I cried for myself. I gazed through blurry tears at the three simple gray tombstones that marked my family's graves.

Kyou, my father. Setsuna, my mother. And finally, Sumomo, my aunt.

But here I was, the last one. Me.

I was the survivor.

Haruno Sakura.

--

I lived on my own the whole next year. Villagers had been kind to me, so I had survived.

But one day, it all changed.

A magnificent horse and buggy clomped through White Village. The pure white of the stallion made even the snow look dirty. The black wooden carriage, although it was simple and not decorated at all, seemed to be fantastically glamorous. It was certainly something exquisite. Everyone in our tiny town walked. No one even owned a horse, except for the leader of the town who had an old, worn down pony, hardly able to compare to the pure white horse.

It made me even happier when Isuzu, the beauty of the village, told me with a smile that the wonderful carriage was for me. She held my hand and led me up to the driver. He introduced himself and laughed when he saw my thrill to get into the back of the carriage.

Before leaving, the driver handed a small, red velvet bag to Isuzu. It clinked as it was transferred from person to person. I realized that it was filled with coins.

Isuzu smiled at me once more before the glamorous carriage took off again.

I hated that smile. Years later, it still flashed vividly through my mind.

She was wicked.

--

In the back of the carriage I rode in silence until nightfall, where the driver led me out to an unfamiliar place. Unlike White Village where everything was quiet after dark, this town was bustling with nighttime activity. Lanterns hung to illuminate the place with brightly colored lights, the paper of each lamp being a different color, from plain white to blue, green, pink, orange, and even purple.

I didn't know back then, but I had been taken to Konoha, the famous city located in the heart of the Fire Country.

The driver stopped in front of a large, traditional house, completed with sliding paper doors and the outside hallway. It was at least three times larger than the small cottage I had lived in before.

"This little girl took a long time to get, Granny. I expect a lot of money for her," a driver said, pushing me forward onto my knees into a makeshift bow. He was talking to an old lady in front of him.

The old woman nodded, making the wrinkles on her face flap. She pulled out a small bunch of cash from a pocket in her robe. Counting out several bills, she handed them over to him. "She looks like she could be worth it," the woman said in an old, decrepit voice. I cringed at the sound of it.

"She's a pretty one. You could make a lot of money off of her." The man turned to leave and raised a hand in goodbye.

Granny laughed. "I intend on it," she assured him, while she prodded my back with her cane. "Get up, you," she told me. I scrambled to my feet, wincing as I stepped on a sharp rock. I didn't have any shoes on. We had been too poor for shoes before at home.

The main door slid open; the silhouette of a short woman was visible from in front of the bright light from inside. Someone cracked a spark above her back and she turned to leave.

This was the first time I encountered Anko.

I tried not to stare as she passed me. From the glances I managed to get of her, I saw that she had on an intricate kimono. From the looks of it, it had been a soft, light gray that had been carefully embroidered with gold thread. The string had been woven together to create the pattern of a fierce dragon and beautiful phoenix, both soaring in the sky and trailing sparks behind them. Her obi, the large strip of fabric tied around her waist was a bright lavender color, and sealed the kimono together with a neat box knot. Her plum colored hair was pulled up and twisted into an intricate pattern, and hair ornaments dangling from the soft looking hair. On her face, I could see that it had been painted a pure white, and her lips were marked a dark, rich, red. She glanced down at me with hard gray eyes.

"Granny, don't drag trash into the okiya," she said airily as she passed, lifting her head up high as she walked past us.

I fought down a comeback as I felt the cane at my back again and followed the old lady inside.

--

After I entered the house, I was told by Granny to go directly to a woman's office. The old woman called her "Mother."

Mother wasn't terribly old, in fact she was probably in her late forties, but she was certainly frightening. She had blank eyes that were a pale blue, almost completely white, that seemed to follow everyone's movements. Her black hair was tied in a tight, sharp knot at the top of her head, and although she wasn't bulky or fat (in reality, she was thin and twig-like), she seemed like a giant to me at the time.

After answering questions like what my name was, where I lived previously, and how old I was, the hawk-like lady came to a conclusion. She told me to call her Mother as well.

"Ok, if you behave, you will be sent to school," Mother told me in her office. She sent me away when she was done. "Put on this new robe, throw your old filthy clothes away, and wait for Hinata by the stairs. You're her maid now."

I obeyed, even though I still had no idea where I was or if I would ever get a chance to go back home.

--

Later that night, I was told that I was in this place called an 'okiya' by a girl my age. Her name was Yamanaka Ino.

"What's your name?" she asked, smiling faintly at me. "I'm Yamanaka Ino." Ino had long blonde hair that was pulled up into a smooth ponytail and bright blue eyes. I learned later that everyone in the okiya thought that she was particularly pretty, and I understood why.

"I'm Sakura…Haruno Sakura," I answered quietly, averting my eyes so I wouldn't be rude by staring. "Where am I?" I couldn't resist blurting out.

Ino's smile widened. "You're at the Hyuuga Okiya, Sakura-chan!" she chirped happily. "I'm glad to see that they've found another girl my age at last! I like your hair. It's pretty!"

I returned the smile, though it was probably riddled with confusion. "Thank you Ino-chan…but, what's an okiya?" I fiddled my hair, trying to flatten it out. It was pink, the color of cherry blossoms, hence my name.

"An okiya is a geisha house. Maids like us train to be geisha. After a certain amount of time working here, if Mother decides that you're worthy, you get sent to school to learn how to become a geisha," the blonde girl answered. "You saw Anko, right? She's a geisha."

I thought the arrogant woman who had called me garbage as she walked past me. Of course I remembered her.

"Oh! Sakura-chan, get down and bow!" Ino hissed suddenly. She hastily got down to a bowing position on her knees, pushing me down with her. After the person had turned the corner, we got up.

"That lady was Mother," Ino explained. "She runs the okiya, along with Granny. You must always pay respect towards them."

Mother was what we called the owner, or manager of the okiya. Granny was the most senior woman of the okiya and had even more authority than Mother did.

"I met her before," I said quietly. "She reminds me of a hawk circling its prey–she's always watching."

Ino nodded vigorously. She opened her mouth to start saying something, but was cut off by the quiet, but noticeable sound of a tinkling bell. "Oh, I'd love to stay and chat Sakura-chan, but that's Granny's bell. I must go see what she needs!" and with that she sped off towards a set of stairs, leaving me all along in the cold entrance hall.

--

"Are you the new maid?" a soft voice asked me, shaking me out of my thoughts, and making me jump slightly. I looked up from my seated position on the hardwood floor against the stairs. I was tucked in the corner between a side table with a telephone on it and its intersection with the stairs, feeling quite safe and secure.

The person who had interrupted my thinking was about my age too. But unlike Ino and I, she wasn't dressed in a simple cotton maids' robe, but instead a higher quality silk robe that signaled that she had some place in the house hold. She had dark, ebony hair, but it shined more purple than black. Her eyes were a delicate lavender color, and I thought she was quite lovely as well.

"Yes…" I answered quietly. "Are you…Hinata-san?" I dared to ask.

Hinata nodded. "Yes. My name is Hyuuga Hinata, and Mother said that you were to be my maid." Her voice remained extremely soft and gentle, a total contrast to how Mother spoke. I liked her a lot already. She seemed friendly and easy to get along with.

"Ok. I'm Haruno Sakura," I answered respectfully. "Hinata-san, can you tell me what has happened today?" I asked, hoping that I wasn't pleading. "Ino-chan tried to explain to me, but I'm still confused." I looked down at the smooth floors, hoping that I wasn't too bold.

Hinata nodded. "I will explain to you what's happening, but first, let us leave the entrance hall. We can talk in my room instead."

--

It turned out that Hinata's room was on the third floor, the top floor of the okiya. On our way up, she gave me a quick tour of the house first though, showing me the maids' quarters on the first floor (a large room with many mats on the floor, obviously for sleeping), the kitchen (where I'd often be fetching food or drink for Hinata and other family members from the cook), and the shoe rack where shoes for the maids could be found.

On the second floor, there were only two doors in the spacious hall after we traveled upwards on the staircase I was at before. She pointed at a large sliding paper door on the left. "That's Anko's room. There used to be other geisha there, but right now, she's the only one left," she murmured to me, as if Anko might pop out of the door any moment, even though she wasn't even in the okiya. "Never go into her room without permission."

Pointing to the other door on the right side of the hallway, she showed more closed doors to me, "That's the apprentice geisha room. Geisha that are still under 18 sleep there. But no one is in there either." I followed as Hinata walked in that special, elegant way up the stairs.

On the third floor, the hallway was quite cramped, seeing how there were many rooms.

"That's Mother's office," Hinata said, "And that's Granny's room. Mother's room is right next to it…" she gestured towards each of the rooms with small movements. Hinata stopped at the end of the small common area. "And this is my room."

She slid open the door to reveal a small, but still lovely bedroom. There was one bed and a futon, each in their own respective corners. A mirror and make-up stand was pushed into the corner, but with the exception of a few combs, it was bare and empty. However, the walls were lined with soft, lavender silk. I couldn't help but stare at that time, thinking that it was the most lavishly decorated room ever.

"You can sleep on the futon, instead of the maids' quarters since you're my maid," Hinata told me with the smallest hint of a grin. "Don't worry, I'll…I'll try not to work you to death like most of the maids are," she said with a determined voice. "I don't want to end up cruel and sour like Mother and Granny," Hinata whispered to me.

I giggled a little bit. "Hinata-san, can you please explain to me what's happening now?" I requested after I had suppressed most of my laughter.

"Mm," she nodded. "Sakura-san…when you left your home today and got onto that carriage, it means that you have been sold to our geisha house."

I was shocked. "Sold?" I whispered. "Buy who?" Wasn't it illegal to sell people? I saw an image of Isuzu's beautiful, chilling smile. Isuzu. She had sold me into this. She had sold the worthless village girl to this…place for her own selfish needs.

Hinata shook her head. "I don't know, but Mother buys girls who are either brought or sent here. She only chooses those who she thinks may have the potential to become a successful geisha. Basically, it means that the girl has to be attractive and somewhat clever."

She paused before starting again, perhaps to let it sink in for me.

"After she buys the new girl, the girl is put to work as a maid. If the maid proves herself worthy, she is allowed to go to school. This school is special though–it's a school that teaches girls the arts that are needed to become a geisha. However, if you aren't worthy enough, you will remain a maid forever."

I was starting to understand what was happening. I had to be good in order to have any good future at all.

"After you finish your basic schooling, an older geisha will usually offer to become your "older sister" to teach you more about being a geisha firsthand. At this point, you become an apprentice geisha after your debut. Finally, when you turn eighteen, you become a true geisha," Hinata finished with a small smile. "Are you still confused?"

I nodded. "Hinata-san…what exactly is a geisha?" I asked.

"A geisha is an entertainer. She learns how to perform tea ceremonies, sing, dance, play the shamisen, and so forth. The longer amount of time she entertains at a party, and the more popular she is, the more money she earns. The more money and popularity, the more success. Anko is a geisha. She's very successful too, and brings in good money to our okiya."

"And…" I hesitated, not wanting to know the answer.

"Yes?"

"Hinata-san," I tucked a lose strand of pink hair behind my ear. "Will I ever get to go home?" I asked timidly, afraid of the answer. "Am I allowed to leave?" I already missed White Village immensely.

Hinata tried to smile kindly, but failed.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-san…," she tried to say as gently as possible, "but no."

My face fell. It had probably dropped down to the Earth's core with what I was feeling. I was trapped here…forever.

--

So...this is my first actually posted Naruto fic. This story was greatly inspired by the book and movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden.

Ok, well this chapter is going to be the only chapter from Sakura's point of view. Also...**this story WILL NOT be following the same plot as Memoirs of a Geisha. **Several of my reviewers seemed to not know this, even though I wrote it in the author's note before. Yeah, I edited this, by the way, if anyone cares.

And...special thanks to tsukiko7 for reading this to tell me if it stinked and betaing it. Thank you, Kas-san!

_-ANGELforSHOW-_


	2. Chapter Two

* * *

-

_Cherry Blossom Memories_

Chapter II

-

* * *

Sakura walked through Konoha in that certain way you were supposed to for your status. A geisha, for example, could stride through the city boldly and wouldn't get accused of thinking she was better than everyone else. A ninja could saunter through without a care in the world and wouldn't be accused of being an ignorant fool. But a maid like her – she had to keep her head down and walk shrunken into the shadows. 

And this was exactly how she moved.

But soon it wouldn't be like this. The moment she turned fourteen, Sakura have to work even harder so she could find an older sister. After this, she wouldn't have time for casual walks in Konoha. Instead, she would be working her ass off to prove herself.

She only had two weeks left too. There were fourteen days until March 28th.

Sighing, she realized this fact while standing on the bridge. She saw her reflection in the water and frowned. A lot of people said that she was pretty, but at that moment, all she saw were imperfections: a large forehead, green eyes that weren't bright enough, lips that were too small, and this weird pink hair.

Tossing a small rock into the water, she watched as her mirrored self blurred and rippled, walking away.

But that was the last she would be seeing of that Sakura for a very long time.

* * *

Two weeks flew by way too quickly. 

But Mother was happy. She had gotten three offers to be Sakura's older sister already, and she had only been fourteen for two days! Mother smirked in triumph. She knew that buying Sakura from that no-name village was a good deal, she just knew it.

But all the offers had come from mediocre geisha. They were all moderately successful, but none of them were enough to just give the girl that extra push. Mother had the feeling she would be successful, but to make that daydream come true, it would take someone special.

Sighing, Mother went back to her accounting books and her abacus, trying to figure out how much extra money they had and how much money Anko had cost them again. This time, Anko had gotten into a fight with another geisha, breaking three teacups, shattering a window, and breaking the other geisha's nose. Mother winced. The last act of damage was sure to cost at least a small fortune – after all, no one wanted to be served by a geisha with a crooked nose.

Yelling for a maid to get her some tea, she slid the polished stones across the bars of wood and proceeded to write things down. In between a long calculation was a long gulp of green tea. The process was repeated – math, tea, math tea.

Three hours later, another timid maid knocked and said she had a phone call. Picking up the telephone, a smile blossomed on Mother's thin face.

"Perfect."

* * *

Sakura woke up in the next morning to the sound of laughter and heavy footsteps in the downstairs hallway. Hinata also stirred across the room from her in her bed. 

She sighed as she fixed her bubblegum colored hair, straightening it out with a small comb that Hinata had provided for her a few days after she had arrived.

White Village seemed like a distant dream now, despite that fact that she had spent a good ten years of her life there. Sakura had been trapped at the Hyuuga Okiya for officially four years, but she still wasn't on her way to a good career.

This thought made Sakura sigh with sorrow. She had been sent to training school only four months after she had arrived, but no one good enough had offered yet to be her older sister. All of the young geisha-to-be in the okiya had received (and accepted) offers from prominent geisha in Konoha.

Ino had been picked up by Anko. Although Anko still remained cruel and bitchy to everyone in the okiya, she was widely successful. Everyone in the okiya had to agree that it was an honor to be a younger sister to Anko.

Hinata was given the chance to be the apprentice geisha to the great Kurenai, Anko's lifelong rival, and one of _the_ best geisha in Konoha at the time. Mother had eagerly accepted Kurenai's offer. She knew the money that Hinata would drag in. It was way too much to pass up.

Michiko, another maid around their age had managed to catch the eye of Mikoto, a geisha from the famed Uchiha line. She would perhaps become an even more successful geisha than Anko, because her older sister was so popular and well known.

That only left Sakura. Pink haired, green eyed Sakura. The pretty cherry blossom that no one wanted, leaving her wilted and alone in the dust.

A loud knock sounded at Hinata's door. "Hinata-chan! Sakura-chan! Mother wants you and Sakura-chan downstairs immediately!" Michiko's voice floated urgently through the thin paper door. The lights in the hallway were on, and Sakura could see the silhouette of her slim, petite figure through the door. She was dressed in a kimono.

Adrenaline rushed through Sakura as she hurried over to her mistress's bed to wake her up. As soon as the sleepy Hinata woke up, Sakura dashed over to the door and peered out to find a paper package left next to the door. One of the other maids must have set it out, because it contained Hinata's kimono for the day.

Carefully tearing away the plain brown paper, Sakura sighed inwardly as she held up a gorgeous, dark purple kimono. It was lined with golden trim and from the bottom, there was a painstakingly meticulous embroidery of a sunset made from gold, orange, red, and pink thread. The sun cast it's reflection over a lake. The silk was made ten times more beautiful with the addition of just thread. The obi was a light, pastel orange, and an eye-attracting color.

Bringing the garment over to mistress with caution, Sakura secretly wished to be able to wear such nice clothing herself, but wiped away the thought when she saw that Hinata had finished putting on her makeup. Handing the kimono to the Hyuuga, Sakura smiled as Hinata gave her a quick nod to signal to her that it was ok for her to leave and get dressed herself.

Sakura slipped into her dark blue robe and traced the yellowed thread of the symbol sewn into the robe. The symbol was the symbol for the Hyuuga Okiya, and it showed the okiya's ownership over her.

"Sakura-chan, can you please help me with the obi?" Hinata asked from the other side of the room, her voice still feather soft from over the years, but she had gained confidence when talking to her maid.

Sakura nodded with small smile and hurried over to her friend. She grasped the long strip of tangerine silk with her hands and started to fold and tie it around Hinata's tiny body. While she was working, she asked, "Hinata-chan, do you know why Mother wants to see us?"

Hinata shook her head, but was careful not to move any other part of her body in fear of messing up the obi tying. "No, but it must be important to be waking us up so early," she tried to blink the sleep away from her lavender eyes, but it didn't work as well as she hoped. She still felt tired and her eyelids seemed heavy from the lack of sleep.

"Yeah, but why would she need to see me too? Did I do something wrong?" the maid asked, panic starting to show in her jade colored eyes. She fumbled with the cloth in her hands, but quickly recovered.

Hinata shook her head even more vigorously this time, her dark purple hair was threatening to fall out from the up-do she had to get it done in. "Of course not!" she protested in a surprisingly strong tone of voice. "I bet it's something good she wants to see us for!" she declared optimistically.

Sakura grinned. "If you say so," she said, as she finished tying the silk with a box knot. "There! Tight enough, loose enough?" she asked standing back to admire her work. It might not have seemed hard, but the obi cloth was very long and heavy, and it took a long time to learn how to fold it correctly and make it look good.

Today's obi tying was particularly good. Not a wrinkle in sight.

The Hyuuga heiress smiled at Sakura and said, "It's perfect!" She pocketed a small comb and a tiny coin purse inside of her obi and started towards the paper door.

"Hinata-chan, you forgot to put on your extra eye makeup!" Sakura reminded her before she left the room completely. It was a last minute thing she had just thought of.

Hinata needed more charcoal makeup around her eyes because her eyes were already a very light color. The white face paint made her eyes almost blend into her skin, which was never good (and rather creepy looking). Therefore, extra eyeliner was needed. She put it on in a hurry, making sure to cake on the ebony pencil and put mascara on her eyelashes.

"Ready!" the young Hyuuga breathed out as soon as she had put the finishing touches on her eyes.

"Good!" Sakura, slid open the door for her mistress and held it, letting Hinata step out of the room before her. She bowed her head as a sign of respect, although she and Hinata were more friends than mistress and maid.

Dashing down the stairs to the common area, Hinata immediately halted her rushing when the hit a public area. Sakura grew silent and bowed her head down once more to signal her lower status.

"Ah, Hinata…chan, Sakuraaaa, itsss nice to see you," Mother slurred out to them when the arrived. She had been standing at the entrance of the sliding door, waiting for them, but as soon as Hinata had set a foot inside the room, Mother was already back at the table, kneeling on the floor with their guest.

"Come now, Mrs. Hyuuga, you mustn't be rude. Introduce your two okiya children," the guest insisted, laughing as she picked up her white porcelain shot glass and dumped the entire contents down her esophagus. "Ahhhh," she cooed with content as she felt the sake burn as it traveled down her throat.

"Offff course, Tsunade-samaa, this is Hyuuga Hinata…and H-h-haruno Sakura," Mother introduced with difficulty. The alcohol was already affecting her. "Sit…down girlsss."

The two sat down uncomfortably at the table. An awkward silence ensued as the two women toasted themselves and drained another glass of the fermented beverage. Hinata's eyes widened. She had never seen Mother so…smashed. Then they opened up even larger. Tsunade was a legendary geisha. She had to be THE most successful geisha to ever walk the Earth. But why was she here?

Tsunade slammed down the tiny cup and tossed several loose strands of blonde hair behind her back. "Time to get down to business Mrs. Hyuuga," she said firmly, looking away from the small bottle of warmed sake on the grainy table.

The okiya leader nodded and sat up straighter, trying to compose herself. Sadly, due to alcohol poisoning, she failed miserably. Giving up, she slumped down on the table. "Goooo onnn," she slurred out, leaning her head on her hand. Her head felt heavy and she started to hiccup. Still somewhat conscious, Mother quickly clamped a hand onto her mouth to soften the sound.

"Um, ok. Well, Sakura," – the maid's head shot up at attention – "I heard that you recently celebrated your birthday. How old are you now?" Tsunade asked the girl kindly, smiling slightly.

Sakura answered, flustered, "F-fourteen, Tsunade-sama." She twisted a lock of bubblegum colored hair around her index finger – a nervous gesture. The famed woman in front of her watched her amusedly, her smile threatening to turn into a giggle.

"There's no need to be nervous, Sakura, after all, we'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on," Tsunade assured her, taking a small sip of sake. Her honey colored eyes twinkled and it took Sakura a few seconds to realize what she meant. Her jade colored eyes widened to a gigantic size and a smile started to grow on her face. Hinata resisted a squeal, and Ino and Michiko who were standing by the door were huddled together squeaking in happiness. Mother even managed a lopsided grin through her intoxication.

"You-you mean…?" Sakura asked breathlessly, as she wrung her hands together, slightly afraid of the answer.

Tsunade stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow at my apartment as soon as possible," she answered with a laugh. Seeing her self out to the door, she said, "Be sure to give Mrs. Hyuuga some aspirin for the hangover she's going to have," before she exited the Hyuuga Okiya.

Sakura sat there for a moment, stunned. She simply sat there, crouching on her seat cushion, her eyes as wide as the full moon, until she finally mumbled, "…I'm…I'm an apprentice…"

The three other girls squealed and rushed over to congratulate their friend. Although Ino, Hinata, and Michiko were all in full apprentice geisha regalia, they screamed, cheered, and hugged Sakura. After all, Tsunade was the number one geisha in all of Konoha.

Anko stood by the outside watching the scene take place among the younger children. Frowning, her deep rogue lips against the snow white of her face made her look more sinister than ever. What was it with the maids in her okiya attracting her enemies? Reaching up a hand to make sure her berry colored hair was in place, she called out shortly, "Ino. Let's go," and turned her heel rapidly, making the dark blue hem of her kimono swish like the waves in the ocean.

Ino moved quickly to catch up, waving a hand in goodbye as her long blonde hair flowed behind her. It was unusual for a geisha to have loose strands of hair, but the hairdresser had declared Ino's white gold locks too beautiful to seal up all the way, so he had twisted the top into a bun with flowing strands and left the bottom half of her hair fly free.

After another fifteen minutes of congratulations and excitement, the remaining two apprentices excused themselves and also went with their older sisters to go learn more about geisha-hood.

Sakura was in the best of moods afterwards, even after her friends were gone, and she practically skipped while doing her chores. She hummed while she scrubbed the floor to Anko's room, beamed at Mother as she delivered two capsules of aspirin, and daydreamed while weeding the garden.

Nothing could ruin this day for her, nothing at all.

* * *

The next morning it was the usual – Sakura woke Hinata up, she helped Hinata put on the large kimono, reminded her to put on her extra makeup, and made sure Hinata was ready before she was. 

But the young maid wasn't doing five hours of endless chores and then eating a meager lunch only to be looking forward to doing five more hours of tedious chores, today, she was dressed and ready to head out to an exciting day of her own.

"We're here. Are you ready Sakura-chan?" Michiko asked her nervous friend, seeing how she was playing with her hair and tapping her toe every free second.

Sakura stared back at the white face, blood red lips, and the heavy coal colored eye makeup. That would be her face soon. She would be like that. The unknown Haruno Sakura would finally have a place in Konoha. She would be needed.

Squeezing her lips closed as tight as they could, she nodded and swallowed hard, trying to crush the butterflies in her stomach. Knocking on the door to Tsunade's large western style home, she waved goodbye to Mikoto and Michiko. The elder geisha gave her an encouraging smile and a nod before ushering her apprentice away.

The heavy wooden door was opened and a hand beckoned her in.

Inhaling deeply, Sakura stepped in firmly, knowing she was doing the right thing.

And thus another chapter of her life was finished.

* * *

Augh, sorry for the ((big)) delay. But marching band season is finally over (I was on the drum line this year, and pit percussion sucked for me), and I have time. Expect the next update over Thanksgiving Break, like in a week. Hmm, some good stuff to know. 

This story, once again WILL NOT be based after Memoirs of a Geisha. The book is just an inspiration to me.

Only the first chapter will be in first person too.

Also, this was a transitional chapter, and then next chapter is going to be more of a filler than anything. Hang in there, a couple more chapters and this thing will really get rolling.

Finally, thanks to tsukiko7 for reading this first.

Read and review!

_--ANGELforSHOW-- _


	3. Chapter Three

* * *

-

_Cherry Blossom Memories_

Chapter III

-

* * *

Tsunade's western style home was a lot larger than any traditional Japanese house was.

Sakura gazed in awe as she saw the front hall itself. The floor wasn't slippery hardwood, but instead bright blue tile. There was a large white marble staircase that led up to a second floor, and the balcony overlook on the second floor was visible from the front door. Slipping out of her shoes, she tried to absorb every detail of he grand house.

From a far off window, sunlight was pouring in, and to the left, Sakura saw a dining room with a dark wood table and eight matching wooden chairs with white cushions. The table was set with a bright lace tablecloth and eight place setting set out. In front of each seat, a wine glass, water glass, china plate, polished flatware, and a folded burgundy napkin, were all set on top of a matching cloth burgundy placemat. However, in the middle of the table, instead of food, there were tall candlesticks and flower bouquet arrangements, strategically placed to look both attractive and welcoming.

"Sakura-san, if you come with me, I'll take you to see Tsunade-sama," the maid told the new apprentice with a shy smile. Leading her back through the house past the staircase, the maid wandered through the kitchen and back into an office of some sort. Bowing to Sakura and Tsunade, the maid slipped out of the room quietly.

Tsunade looked completely different when she was not in full costume, Sakura discovered. Her skin was a peachy color and her lips were a light pink, as opposed to the white and red she had always seen her in. In down time, her hair seemed to be tossed in the back, tied into to hasty pigtails, very unlike the intricate bun her blonde hair had been up before. Also, it turned out that Tsunade was much bustier than the kimono had let on. Right now, underneath the normal cotton robe, Sakura could see how endowed Tsunade really was. She winced…did she need to be that gifted too?

"Good morning, Sakura-chan," Tsunade said to her student in a nonchalant voice while she hurriedly wrote down numbers on a piece of paper, her handwriting getting gradually messier until it was no more than ink squiggles on a sheet of white.

Sakura smiled, showing all of her pearly white teeth. "Good morning, Tsunade-sama!" she answered back. She was excited.

It took a few more seconds for Tsunade to reply. After another set of scribbled number, she dropped the pen and stood up from her desk chair. "So, are you ready to start?" she asked her new pupil, smiling slightly.

Sakura nodded, making her powder pink hair fly with the movement of her head. "Yes!"

"That's the spirit."

* * *

"Well, the first thing you must learn is how to apply your makeup correctly. I got my hair undone and waited this morning just for you," Tsunade told her student with a serious face.

She had led Sakura up to her bedroom (a gigantic suite with its own bathroom and a large bed), and threw open her closet, making the little girl gape from the amount of kimono that was stored inside. ("Don't be impressed, the storehouse in the attic has more kimono than this," Tsunade told her, putting an index finger underneath a chin to close a blushing Sakura's mouth.) Then, she herself down in a chair, motioned to Sakura to sit down on the chair next to her, and started to explain the different makeup bottles that littered the vanity table.

She started with a large round bottle. "This is just regular lotion," Tsunade said, unscrewing the top and dipping a finger in the beige cream. "Make sure you use it at least once a week, because makeup can dry out your skin." Wiping the lotion on Sakura's cheek, she added, "A lot of geisha don't use any moisturizers, so when they retire their skin is dry and cracked. Rub that in," she instructed her student.

Sakura obliged and gently rubbed in the cream, but she still concentrated intently on the other makeup bottles that littered the vanity table.

"These are brushes," Tsunade explained next, holding up an assortment of different makeup brushes in her hand. Some on them were tiny and thin, but others were broad and fan-like. "Lotion you just rub in with your fingers, but makeup is a bit more delicate than that."

Tsunade rummaged around through her makeup jars and held up some colored sticks. "These are pigment sticks, they're obviously for coloring," she put them down gently on the table near Sakura.

The student edged away from the makeup, afraid to touch them. She might break them, or maybe Tsunade didn't even want her to touch her things.

"Don't be afraid," Tsunade laughed and picked up a dark violet pigment stick. She tapped it on the edge of the table. "It won't break or bite. Feel free to touch and examine everything I show you," she smiled at Sakura, her honey colored eyes showing lots of warmth and happiness. Sakura stared. Tsunade might have been famous and rich, but at least she wasn't like Anko. Tsunade seemed genuinely happen, but Anko's cold black eyes showed nothing but anger and regret.

Tsunade held out a small tortoise shell filled with a dark red paste. "This is the red I use to paint my lips, but we won't be getting to this for a while…" she said, sliding the shell towards Sakura. Sakura picked it up carefully, and examined the hardened block of pigment that was dried inside of it.

The legendary geisha shifted aside a few more bottles and finally held up a large, flat jar filled to the brim with a hardened white paste. The block was smooth looking and whole, but a small crater was starting to form right in the middle where the brushes were hitting it first. "This is the makeup I use to whiten my face. It's standard makeup and not _too_ expensive, but try not to waste it nonetheless."

Sakura nodded. She knew how important it was to conserve things, no matter how small it could be. Like in the okiya – Anko wasted much makeup everyday, putting some lipstick on, then deciding the shade was too bright, trying to smear it off, then making her white face makeup smudge, and then having to wash everything off to redo it all again. Constantly, she would be scolded my Mother, and constantly she wouldn't listen. It was a never ending cycle.

Dipping the largest brush into a cup of water that was already on the vanity table, Tsunade rubbed it into the round block of snow-colored pigment until it was a smooth, even, slightly liquidy paint. Sakura watched, trying to absorb as much technique information as she could.

"When you start to add the water, make sure the paint you end up with is all the same thickness, and that it's not lumpy or anything," the blonde woman told her student. "If you have lumps of makeup, it'll look terrible, feel terrible, and just BE terrible," she laughed slightly, making her apprentice smile.

After a substantial amount of stirring, Tsunade finally deemed the makeup to be good enough to use and flipped the brush over in it several times. Painting long, silky strokes onto her cheeks first, she gradually branched out over her face, painting her forehead, chin, and neck. Only around her eyes, mouth, and nose were kept bare.

Picking up a smaller brush, she then filled in the patches of skin that she hadn't touched up yet and made sure to smooth everything out. Sakura stared. She looked like a deathly pale person without the lip and eye makeup. Why was the white so appealing to society after all?

"Alright, Sakura."

The girl's attention snapped back up to her mentor.

"After you're done your white face makeup, then you use the pigment sticks as your blush," she colored in different shades of pink and red into her cheeks. There was even a purple colored in there once or twice.

"Ok, so after this it's time to paint your lips…"

* * *

A good half hour after they had started, the two were finally done the makeup preparation. Tsunade looked "normal" again, and had on the usually cloud colored face, blood red lips, and her hair twisted up into a series of knots and twists at the top of her head, making a shining bunch of golden hair (her hairdresser had paid them a visit).

The two were in another room now, an ornate room that Sakura thought was a tea-ceremony room. They kneeled at the low table, and on the table was a simple tea set – one teapot, two teacups, and one small bottle of sake.

"Show me how you pour tea," Tsunade instructed Sakura, a slight smile upon her red lips.

Sakura's hands trembled as she picked up the hot, heavy, teapot. Tilting it forward slightly, she winced inwardly as she saw a few drops of tea splash up and down from the pool of dark liquid in the cup.

Tsunade noted this with a critical eye, but her honey colored eyes flashed with excitement. Sakura had much more potential than many of her last apprentices. The only one who matched her raw talent had been Shizune, who was already on her way to a successful career.

"Good, you didn't let any drip down the teapot onto the table, that's a good sign," the legend smiled at her charge, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "Now there's one major thing about tea and sake pouring you must know – the difference of pouring between a man and a woman…"

Sakura listening intently, hoping to retain every word.

* * *

Sakura was silent as she trailed behind Mikoto and Michiko, newly learned techniques practically springing out of her ears. She glanced enviously at the kimono Mikoto had given Michiko to wear, one of smooth black silk with a crimson phoenix rising, trailing dusty sparks from its wings. The Uchiha symbol was embroidered onto it, the fan seeming to be fanning the sparks to provoke them into exploding into the scarlet phoenix.

The black and red seemed to call more attention to Michiko's startling blue eyes, Sakura realized, wishing that she could become an apprentice geisha sooner.

"…Sakura-chan?"

Her head snapped up to attention. "Ah? Sorry, I didn't hear that."

Michiko blinked and pursed her lips as she reiterated the question. "I asked you how your first day of training was." She lifted a pale, delicate hand to scratch gently at an itch at her hairline, careful not to smudge her makeup.

"Oh, it was nice. I learned a lot from Tsunade-sama," Sakura answered as they walked towards the Hyuuga Okiya.

Michiko smiled as they saw the brightly lit Hyuuga House, small from the distance.

"Tsunade is an excellent teacher," Mikoto said to Sakura as she and Michiko parted to go attend a party. "You'll learn well from her."

Sakura bowed to show her respect before she left. "Thank you for escorting me today, Mikoto-san." She self-consciously brushed a lock of cotton candy colored hair behind her ear as she walked down the small pebble road heading towards the okiya.

She glanced over her shoulder after a few moments, to watch Mikoto and Michiko leave. She noted how the bottoms of their kimonos fluttered with constant waves.

_Take small steps,_ she told herself sternly, as she approached the front porch still, walking as if on glass.

* * *

_Three Months Later._

* * *

Sakura's eyes brimmed with tears as she felt fingers scraping about her scalp roughly. It felt like the top layer of her scalp was gone, and she was quite sure the once peach colored skin was now the same shade as her hair.

Jerked into an upright position, she whimpered to herself as the hairdresser took a narrow-toothed comb to her hair, swiping downwards to free the glossy hair from any knots.

"Ah!"

She gasped quietly to herself when she felt Tsunade's hair stylist comb hot wax into her hair, and then quickly pull it up into a bun. He twisted her hair expertly as he knotted and swirled the roseate whip into an intricate hairstyle, wrapping it around a square of emerald colored silk. At the right angle, you could see the green peeking through the pink.

"Good job, thank you," Tsunade thanked the hairdresser when she saw Sakura was finished, "It looks fabulous. Come along Sakura." She bustled her way through the crowd of other geisha waiting to get their hair done.

--

"Sakura-chan, please stop touching your face," Tsunade asked her student, only slightly exasperated.

She took out the wide spread brush and spread ivory pigment onto Sakura's face again, and then selected a kabuki brush to fill in the smaller areas around her eyes and mouth.

"There!" Tsunade smiled when she saw her masterpiece finished. Sakura gasped at the girl she saw in the mirror.

It couldn't be her.

But it was.

--

"I think this will be an appropriate starting kimono," Tsunade told Sakura as Tsunade and her maid, Usagi shuffled through hundreds of kimonos. "What do you think Usagi?"

The maid nodded, her eyes lighting up when she saw the expensive silk robe. "Yes, I think that is an excellent choice, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade gazed at the kimono fondly before handing it to Usagi. "Help her get ready, when she's done, take her downstairs to the parlor so I can see her," Tsunade ordered her maid with a smile.

Usagi bowed and nodded.

"Thank you, Usagi."

--

Tsunade flipped restlessly through a kabuki magazine, idily wondering if she should have a kimono made in that wonderful coral color.

"Mistress."

She looked up.

Usagi looked pleased with herself. "I'd like to present Haruno Sakura."

Small steps were heard, and someone completely new walked into Tsunade's parlor.

This new girl was a beautiful apprentice geisha. Her hair was up and twisted into an amazing bun, decorated by several hair ornaments – a dangling one with cherry blossoms hanging off the vines, an aqua comb with a white flower, and jeweled hairpins. She had pure white skin, and bright, full red lips. Her eyes were a dazzling shade of viridian.

She wore a very well fitting sky blue kimono, embroidered with free flying cranes, their feathers also swirled around on the robe, all done in sparkling silver thread. Her obi was bright pink, matching her hair. On her feet were intricately decorated zori (a type of shoe, kind of like a flip-flop), along with white tabi (socks).

Tsunade grinned, her pearly white teeth glistening in the sunlight that was coming through the parlor.

"You look wonderful."

* * *

"Congratulations, Haruno Sakura, you are now…"

Sake cups were passed from Tsunade to Sakura.

They both took a sip from each.

"…Tsunade-sama's younger sister…"

A third cup slid down the long wooden table at the ceremony room in the Ichiraku Teahouse. Sakura's light pink lips touched the rim of the small cup first, then Tsunade's.

"…and an official apprentice geisha of Konoha."

Tsunade stood up when the ceremony was done. Her gold colored kimono fluttered at the edges as her ruby colored lips curled upwards. Sakura followed suit, the brilliant cerulean of her kimono shifting as she stood.

"Let's go Sakura," Tsunade told her apprentice. "We have a lot of work to do."

* * *

Sakura stifled a yawn as she and Tsunade approached Tsunade's large manor. After the ceremony, the two of them had spent all day walking around to different teahouses, introducing Sakura to all of the owners. Then, at night, Sakura had shadowed Tsunade as she went to two parties.

Tsunade sighed in happiness as she kicked her feet out of the zori she had worn all day. "That's it for the night," she said. She shot a look at the clock ticking away happily on the wall. "It's only ten o'clock," she told Sakura. "How about one more tea ceremony before I let you go home?"

The two wandered over to the parlor, where Tsunade called Usagi to bring them the practice tea set.

Usagi obliged, bringing the same plain tea set that Sakura had used her first day under Tsunade's wing.

Before turning to leave, the maid gasped.

Tsunade's honey colored eyes flicked up at her maid, wondering what was wrong.

"Tsunade-sama, I nearly forgot…" Usagi sputtered out. "Jiraiya-sama stopped by to give you a message…"

Tsunade quirked her mouth slightly. "That's new. What was his message?"

"It was more of an invitation than a message," Usagi told her mistress, brushing back some of her mousy hair. "He wanted to invite you and Sakura-san to an 'After-War' Party…on September 1st."

Tsunade's eyes widened as she smirked approvingly. "That's perfect. It's August 1st today, correct?"

Usagi nodded.

"Then in one month will be Sakura's first large party," Tsunade decided, holding up her finger. "Usagi, please go tell Jiraiya-san that we accept his invitation."

Usagi bowed before dashing away into the night, her lantern bobbing up and down as she ran.

Tsunade turned to her apprentice, a newly renewed smile on her face and even more energy behind her fiery eyes. Sakura smiled slightly as well.

"Sakura…"

"Yes Tsunade-sama?"

"Start pouring tea. We have a lot of work to do."

"Yes!"

* * *

Er…well, I updated. Six months later, ahaha.

Anyway, sudden inspiration. I'll try to get another chapter out. I really do like this plot.

Review, yeah?

_-ANGELforSHOW-_


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